In recent years, automobile telephone sets, portable telephone sets, and the like are world-widely popularly used as portable information communication apparatus, and various services such as audio and data communications are performed. As a system of the mobile information communication apparatus, a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) system is generally used.
As one of the characteristic features of the GSM system, a point that line subscriber identification information such as telephone numbers, identification IDs, and the like is managed by SIMs (Subscriber Identification Modules; line subscriber information cards such as IC cards, IC plug, and the like).
When number management is performed by the SIMS, respective portable telephone sets and line subscriber identification information can be physically separated from each other. Therefore, usefulness that unnecessary telephone numbers need not be circulated can be obtained.
At present, the GSM system is world-widely used, and, as the SIMs, ten million cards have been issued. As the GSM system will be popularized in the future, the SIMs themselves will be strongly demanded. It is estimated that the number of SIMs to be issued will further increase.
On the other hand, in Japan, physical separation between mobile information communication apparatuses and telephone numbers is regulated in security. For this reason, the system such as SIMs which perform number management cannot be practically used.
However, at present, measures against security management of IC cards have advanced. When line subscriber identification information is changed into an IC card such as an SIM, high security can be assured.
In reception to this, in recent years, SIMs can be practically used in Japan. For example, various examinations are made such that SIMs serving as line subscriber information cards are used in a public telephone network or the like.
In recent years, various telephone sets of a PC card type (to be referred to as PC-card-type telephone sets hereinafter) having portable telephone functions such as PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) cards are practically used. Various information communication apparatuses being capable performing communication such as data transmission using such PC-card-type telephone sets are practically used.
A digital electronic still camera (to be referred to as an electronic camera hereinafter) having the following arrangement is generally used in recent years. That is, object light focused by a photographing optical system is converted into an electric video signal by an image-pickup means such as a CCD to be output, and the output video signal is electrically recorded on a recording medium.
In addition, in such an electronic camera, a fixing unit to which a PC card or the like is fixed is arranged, and the PC-card-type telephone set or the like is fixed to the fixing unit to make it possible to perform data communication of a video signal such as image data. Various electronic cameras each having the above arrangement will be proposed and practically used.
However, since dial buttons and the like are not arranged on the PC-card-type telephone set itself, the PC-card-type telephone set does not solely function as a telephone set.
That is, a PC-card-type telephone set is fixed to the above information communication apparatus, the electronic camera, or the like to be controlled by the information device, so that communication such as data transmission can be performed.
Therefore, it is meaningless that an SIM is incorporated in such a PC-card-type telephone set, and manufacturing costs increase. For this reason, when telephone number management performed by the SIM, communication such as data transfer using a public telephone network requiring the SIM cannot be performed by the information communication apparatus, or the electronic camera to which the PC-card-type telephone set is fixed.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and has as its object to provide an information communication apparatus being capable of easily performing communication such as data transmission even if a public telephone network requiring an SIM is used in an information communication apparatus or the like to which a card-shaped communication device is fixed and which performs communication such as data transmission by a communication means connected by a serial communication means.
It is another object to provide a multi-function information communication apparatus having, when an SIM is used, a function of assuring reliable security, a function of easily acquiring circuit use information such as charging information, and a function of displaying the circuit use information.